Thermal stability of n-TiB2 reinforced α-Al2O3/SiC based nanocomposite sintered at 1600˚C using TG/DTA under controlled Ar atmosphere

Abstract

The present research deliberates the high-temperature thermal stability and post-sintering microstructure of TiB2-Al2O3-SiC composite. The TiB2-Al2O3-SiC nanocomposite with 5, 10, 15 and 20 vol. % TiB2 was fabricated using tubular furnace sintering at 1600°C under argon atmosphere. Before sintering, the materials were ball-milled by planetary ball mill and compacted through a uniaxial hydraulic press to make pellets. The thermo-gravimetric analyses of different pellets were performed and presented for the temperature range 32°C to 1500°C. The TG/DTA reveals that the thermal stability increases with an increase in TiB2 percentage. Further investigations on 20 vol. % TiB2 added Al2O3-SiC was carried out to understand the thermal and post sintering properties. The material exhibited a strong endothermic peak at 1288°C and excellent thermal stability up to 1488°C. The SEM images were clacked in two different situations and displayed good compactness in post-sintering. Elemental distribution and crystal structure of composite presented using EDS and XRD. This Titanium boride doped alumina-silica particulate composite would preferable for hot-spot application, where high-temperature stability necessitates.